Charlestown, Nevis - Former West Indies middle order batsman and Leeward Islands star player for the last several seasons, Runako Morton, has arrived at a critical crossroad in his cricketing career.
Speaking via telephone from his home in Trinidad on Friday 8th October the hard hitting batsman indicated that he was very puzzled about his non selection to the Leeward Islands team which is currently undergoing final preparations for participation in the West Indies Cricket Board’s fifty overs competition which is set to bowl off on Thursday 14th October in Jamaica.
Morton indicated that he suffered a shoulder injury during the inaugural West Indies Cricket Board’s 20/20 series and since then has been undergoing therapy. “Since then I have kept them updated in terms of my recovery process. I phoned the President of the LICA Board, Mr. Shillingford and he asked me to submit a Doctor’s report which I did.” Morton said that he submitted a Doctor’s report to chief of selectors Mr. Percy Daniel and one to Nevis Cricket Association President Ronald Powell.
“I did not participate in the NAGICO one day tournament in order for my shoulder to be fully ready for the WICB one day tournament and after the NAGICO tournament I was informed that I was selected to the LICA squad. However, on Thursday 7th October, I received the information that I was no longer in the squad”.
Asked if he was indeed fit and ready for the WICB tournament, Morton responded that he was ready and that the Doctor’s report would have indicated his specific limitations during the tournament.
An extract from the faxed Doctor’s report reads:
“To whom it may concern
Mr. Morton has been referred to physiotherapy for a diagnosis of acromioclavicular degenerative changes and rotator cuff impingement. He is making excellent progress but is not yet ready to return to throwing activities.
Mr. Morton is cleared to perform batting activities but no throwing as he still runs the risk of injury secondary to reduced strength in his scapular and external rotator muscles…..”
Morton indicated that he had adhered strictly to his recuperative program and was regularly practising in the nets in preparation for the one day tournament upcoming. ‘Even though I would not have been able to do any throwing from the deep, you know that I would have been giving my 100% at first slip or anywhere close in,” he added.
Up until Friday, Morton was still trying to make contact with the relevant authorities with the hope that he would be included in the Leewards squad.
“You know I always give it my all—I just want to play cricket—that is my passion. I was hoping to make my contribution and help the Leewards to win this tournament,” he lamented.
A quick research on the problem as diagnosed revealed the following:
“The acromioclavicular joint, or AC joint, is a joint at the top of the shoulder. It is the junction between the acromion (part of the scapula that forms the highest point of the shoulder) and the clavicle.
The AC joint allows the ability to raise the arm above the head. This joint functions as a pivot point (although technically it is a gliding synovial joint), acting like a strut to help with movement of the scapula resulting in a greater degree of arm rotation.
A common injury to the AC joint is dislocation, often called AC separation or shoulder separation. This is not the same as a "shoulder dislocation," which refers to dislocation of the Glenohumeral joint.
AC dislocation is particularly common in collision sports such as ice hockey, football, rugby and aussie rules, and is also a problem for those who participate in swimming, horseback riding, mountain biking, biking and snowskiing. The most common mechanism of injury is a fall on the tip of the shoulder or FOOSH (Falls on an outstretched hand).”
One can easily see how such an injury can occur during a Cricket game.
It is obvious that Morton wants to play Cricket. The question is: Have the authorities at the LICA level lost interest in his obvious talents? We await the conclusion of this interesting saga.
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